Heard from a source that the COC and OC are in talks about joining forces to make a new COC Large and COC Small.
The COC & OC in talks about joining forces!?!?!?
- Thread starter Mr Goldtooth
- Start date
But the trip from Joplin to West Plains is so scenic.............
Joplin would be in the large and WP would be in the small. However CJ and Webb would be in the small. Webb also wouldn't want to be in the small for football.
I listen to Joplin's local morning sports radio show "The Morning Catch with Kevin Welch and Bobby Landis. Bobby has mentioned this multiple times the last few weeks. He has stated that Carl Junction wants out of the COC and that if the COC and OC join forces that West Plains, Rolla, Waynesville and Central would be left out.
Really just need the 4 Springfield schools from the OC to combine with the COC. Split into 2 divisions
Large
Joplin
Nixa
Kickapoo
Ozark
Carthage
Republic
Webb City
Small
Neosho
Glendale
Branson
Parkview
Willard
Hillcrest
Carl Junction
Those divisions look really good for all the schools competitively at least football wise.
The 6 remaining Ozark Conference schools make a perfect conference.
Bolivar
Camdenton
Lebanon
Rolla
Waynesville
West Plains
But an Ozarks Super Conference based on enrollment like the KC Suburban Conference has been kicked around for 25 plus years.
Large
Joplin
Nixa
Kickapoo
Ozark
Carthage
Republic
Webb City
Small
Neosho
Glendale
Branson
Parkview
Willard
Hillcrest
Carl Junction
Those divisions look really good for all the schools competitively at least football wise.
The 6 remaining Ozark Conference schools make a perfect conference.
Bolivar
Camdenton
Lebanon
Rolla
Waynesville
West Plains
But an Ozarks Super Conference based on enrollment like the KC Suburban Conference has been kicked around for 25 plus years.
I know many in CJ want out travel and many times not competitive well fans feel. Also have heard Neosho wants out but they are so big not sure where they could go.
100% but that doesn't take away how hard it can be on kids to be out late traveling hours on a bus for other sports who play thru the week. To play a conference opponent more than an hour away.
Rolla could join that new Central MO conference. Straight trips up 63 for most and a little west jog to Sedalia on 50.
Yeah but still a long bus Trip for CJ for a Tuesday night contest in Branson. Not saying that happens alot but again there a way more sports than just football.
I wonder when some high schools will do like some colleges and be in a conference for Football and be in a different conference for other sports? Sometimes what is good for football an't good for others and vice versa.
That makes sense kind of for football today but there are also lots of other sports. And Webb City is smaller than most of the "small" division although I'm sure they'd want to be in the large group and it would be kinda dump to put them with the smaller group. Really it's more like you have an "A" conference and a "B" conference.
The thing is that everything is always changing. Some schools blow up in enrollment. Some schools suddenly get something to click in a sport or several sports and can compete at a higher level. Some schools that have been good for a long time in something will eventually fall onto hard times. Many schools just come and go... we've seen that with Ozark Willard and Neosho have all had both awful and very good seasons in the last decade. Neosho is often thought of as a bottom feeder in the COC because of several winless football seasons but their softball, wrestling and soccer are all very good.
I will also say the current COC in non football travel isn't terrible. From Carthage a tuesday nigh trip to Branson, Nixa, Ozark is pretty crummy but it's not frequent. You might get road trips to Nixa and Willard and then have Ozark Repmo and Brnason at home. The other schools are 15 min drives. Neosho is only 25 min. The non con games are usually closeish schools like Mt Vernon, McDonald Co, Lamar, Seneca, Pittsburg, Nevada. All easy drives even on a weeknight.
I would bet they do something like.
East
Lebanon
Camdenton
West Plains
Rolla
Waynesville
Bolivar
Central
Kickapoo
Nixa
Ozark
Hillcrest
Parkview
Glendale
Branson
West
Joplin
Carl Junction
Webb City
Neosho
Carthage
Republic
Willard
OR
COC Small
Carl Junction
Bolivar
Hillcrest
West plains
Parkview
Rolla
Branson
COC East
Lebanon
Camdenton
Waynesville
Kickapoo
Nixa
Ozark
Glendale
COC West
Joplin
Webb City
Carthage
Neosho
Republic
Willard
I probably like the first group best. Both Leave some room for cross overs or non conference games.
East
Lebanon
Camdenton
West Plains
Rolla
Waynesville
Bolivar
Central
Kickapoo
Nixa
Ozark
Hillcrest
Parkview
Glendale
Branson
West
Joplin
Carl Junction
Webb City
Neosho
Carthage
Republic
Willard
OR
COC Small
Carl Junction
Bolivar
Hillcrest
West plains
Parkview
Rolla
Branson
COC East
Lebanon
Camdenton
Waynesville
Kickapoo
Nixa
Ozark
Glendale
COC West
Joplin
Webb City
Carthage
Neosho
Republic
Willard
I probably like the first group best. Both Leave some room for cross overs or non conference games.
I don't think Springfield schools are going to have any interest in being in the "west".
Substitute Nevada and McDonald Co for Willard and Repmo and let those two hang out in the Springfield metro.
That would just be the old Southwest conference! I think Mc County and Nevada are happy in the big 8
The problem with this is if you divide by enrollment you have travel problems and if you divide by geography you have enrollment disparities.
Non football sports should be done by geography because those sports have lots of non conference games where they can play whoever they want. Football is tye problem
Non football sports should be done by geography because those sports have lots of non conference games where they can play whoever they want. Football is tye problem
Yes plus CJ and Joplin and you're right I'm sure they are perfectly content with the Big 8. But from the perpective of the others - those two I think are better than Willard and Repmo.
Plus at some point it's conceivable that the big 8 will start to look at MC and Nevada the same way they were looking at CJ when they left.... a big fish in a small pond.
There are several class 4 schools in the Big 8 now. CJ was the only class 4 school when they left.
Neosho thinks they will get in the Big 8 West when East Newton leaves.
True it's not really the same conference at all now since the merger. It's a much wider spread of school sizes maybe even than the COC.
The fact that Ozark, Willard, Nixa, Republic, Branson, Glendale, Kickapoo, Parkview, Hillcrest, and Central (throw Leb a bone if you want, just right up the road) can't form some sort of conference is ridiculous. In this age of early starts for HS (most of the east COC secondarys start around 7:30), shortages of bus drivers, increased fuel costs, and emphasis on academics...and these moron admins can't get out of their own way and make something like this happen is pure stupidity. There's so many allegiances between SPS and other schools that they ruin it for darned near everyone else. And if you buck the system they'll freeze you out on non-conf stuff. It's insane. Everyone always starts talking about "what about the west schools" or "what about the east OC schools". Well, you know what, they shouldn't be the problem of the 8-10 schools that live within a 30 mile radius of one another. It's complete batcrap and super frustrating.
how many HS kids aren't on their phones until 3am? I think the 'travel' aspect there is overplayed.
Fuel and driver costs are a concern though.
Central can't compete in that league. Parkview and Hillcrest probably can't either.
None at my house. Late travel is a real thing. It's nuts how it has become common place. The phone thing is a parenting issue. Control what you can control.
Agreed...and driver availability is a real thing too.
I don't really care if they can "compete". And neither should SPS. If they're the correct size-ish, should be the only concern (along with geography, obviously). That competition crap has become part of the problem. Size should be a concern, I get that. If you're looking for a place for Hillcrest and Central to compete, good luck.
Thinking Central loves the life they have now. They have a great chance to host a district game, primarily because they play a Class 2 schedule and can pick up enough wins to take advantage of the MSHSAA point system. Now, they are likely to get hammered when the are forced to play schools their own size, but that is beside the point.
Where is East Newton going? And if Neosho thinks that is their landing spot, wouldn’t it be a lot more likely that it goes to CJ if they are truly looking to get out of the COC?
Central us proving that strength of schedule isn't worth enough in the current system.
I doubt CJ would just go back to the Big 8. They would want to be with class 4 and 5 schools.
That and the damned winters would be the reason I couldn't live there. But man, everything else sure seems like it'd be perfect.
ZERO CHANCE, they would let CJ back in! CJ does want out of the COC though!
